Jroreebiuss of W:lre ([lrarles ~esle\! ~orietu Volume 4 1997 S T Kimbrough, Jr. Charles A. Green Editor Assistant Editor PAPERS PRESENTED AT THE EIGHTH ANNUAL MEETING OF THE CHARLES WESLEY SOCIETY August 1997 Bristol. England Introduction . 3 S T Kimbrough. Jr. Charles Wesley's Bristol Hymns and Poems . 5 S T Kimbrough. ir. Charles Wesley, Ecumenical Hymnographer: "Names and Sects and Parties Fall" ........................... 31 John A. Newton Sarah Wesley: Woman of Her Times ............................. 41 Wilma J. Quantrille "Mon tres cher Ami" ............................ ............ 53 Peter S. Forsaith The Trinity in the Teaching of Charles Wesley: A Study in Eighteenth-Century Orthodoxy'? ..................... 69 A. M. Allchin Kenneth E. Rowe, President J. Richard Watson, Vice President Wilma J. Quantrille, Secretary Charles A. Green, Treasurer E. Alan Rose, Secretary-Treasurer for the United Kingdom 5 T Kimbrough, Jr., Director of Publications Board of Directors Paul W. Chilcote Tore Meistad Kenneth D. Shields A. Katherine Grieb Kenneth G. C. Newport John R. Tyson Timothy S. A-Macquiban Carlton R. Young Proceedings of The Charles Wesley Society 1997 Published in the United States by The Charles Wesley Society, 1999 Editor, S T Kimbrough, Jr. Assistant Editor, Charles A. Green Copyright © 1999 by The Charles Wesley Society. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of The Charles Wesley Society. The Charles Wesley Society Archives and History Center Drew University Madison, NJ 07940 Kenneth E. Rowe, President 1. Richard Watson, Vice President Wilma 1. Quantrille, Secretary Charles A. Green, Treasurer E. Alan Rose, Secretary-Treasurerfor the United Kingdom S T Kimbrough, Jr., Director ofPublications Board ofDirectors Paul W. Chilcote Tore Meistad Kenneth D. Shields A. Katherine Grieb Kenneth G. C. Newport John R. Tyson Timothy S. A-Macquiban Carlton R. Young Introduction In the article, "Charles Wesley's Bristol Hymns and Poems," the author addresses Wesley's literary productivity during the years he lived in Bristol, England, which were some of the most productive of his life. Here it was that he settled after marrying Sarah Gwynne in 1749. From that time until they moved to London in 1771, he published more than one-fourth of his total poetic output during his entire lifetime. Among Wesley's numerous works during this period are some poetical works of considerable length: Short Hymns on Select Passages of the Holy Scriptures (1762), a two-volume devotional commentary on the Bible, Hymns on the Trinity (1767), and Hymns for the Use of Families, and on various occasions. One finds hymns and poems linked to the Christian year, to specific occasions, and others to natural occurrences, events (e.g., the earthquake of March 8, 1750), and persons (e.g., George Whitefield). In 1755 some of his poetry writing took on a different character. Moving beyond hymn writing, Wesley began composing lengthy poetic epistles to various friends on subjects which were of interest to him. Some of these hymns are extremely insightful as regards Charles Wesley's theology, moral fiber, and personal relationships. This article is a careful chronological survey of Charles Wesley's published and unpub­ lished poetical works between the years 1749 and 1771. Some years ago John A. Newton wrote an article, "The Ecumenical Wesley," for the periodical The Ecumenical Review, which was concerned with John Wesley. In "Charles Wesley, Ecumenical Hymnographer" Newton turns to the poet-priest­ brother, Charles, in whose hymns he finds the same ecumenical emphasis that characterizes John's writings. Newton describes the political violence and reli­ gious turmoil in which Charles Wesley uttered the cry for tolerance, peace, and unity. While Charles Wesley is not viewed as a twentieth-century ecumenist, he is seen as a contributor to present-day ecumenism by creating a lyrical corpus of the central doctrines of the Christian faith, by emphasizing Christ-like love, or agape, as that which unifies, and by creating a lyrical theology that is sung world-wide. Not very much has been written about Sarah Wesley (Sally, Jr.), daughter of Charles and Sarah (Gwynne) Wesley. She was one of the three children, of the eight born to the Wesleys, who survived the first year of life. Five died at birth or in the first year of infancy. We know more of her brothers, Charles, Jr., and Samuel, both musicians, than of Sally, Jr. In the article "Sarah Wesley, Woman of Her Times" Wilma 1. Quantrille paints an interesting picture of this bright and tal­ ented woman, setting her in the family, literary, and intellectual contexts of her time. She was a gifted woman who circulated among some of the literary elite of her day, and who also wrote poetry. A significant debt is owed her for the care with which she preserved many of the Charles Wesley family papers. In the article "Mon tres cher Ami" Peter Forsaith examines the letters of John Fletcher, friend and "Methodist" preacher, who was born in Switzerland. Forsaith 3 4 Proceedings ofThe Charles Wesley Society 1997 examines the letters of Fletcher to Charles Wesley from August 1758 until the end of 1770, all of which are in French. As the letters have not been published before and only rarely cited, Forsaith's article is a significant contribution. He surmises that "in the late 1750s Fletcher was ministering with Charles Wesley to French-speaking congregations in London, and they decided that it would be a good practice to write regularly in French" (see below, page 54). The letters are a valuable source of infor­ mation regarding eighteenth-century Methodist society life, the turmoil endured by the Methodist societies, and Fletcher's personal relationship with Charles Wesley. The letters also reflect the impact and influence of Charles Wesley on Fletcher's personal and pastoral life and shed some light on the Maxfield-Bell controversy. For years A. M. Allchin has been an avid reader of Charles Wesley's hymns. As an astute Anglican scholar he continues to explore the riches of their spiritu­ ality. Once again, in the article "The Trinity in the Hymns of Charles Wesley," Allchin plunges the depths of Wesley's poetry, and reveals the timeless resonance of his language and thought with diverse dimensions of the theology and tradi­ tion of Eastern Orthodoxy: particularly the Trinity, Incarnation, and theosis or deification. Allchin maintains that for Charles Wesley "Trinity and Incarnation go inseparably together, and Incarnation implies the incorporation of humanity into the movement of the manifestation of divine love" (page 74). Allchin's treatment of Wesley's Hymns on the Trinity (1767) is of particular interest in this regard. Wesley sees all of human life as caught up in the movement of love among the Persons of the Trinity. Allchin's article is a valuable contribution to the discus­ sion of Orthodoxy and Wesleyan spirituality. The Proceedings of The Charles Wesley Society is published annual1y by the Society, and a subscription is included in the annual membership fee. Copies are also available for purchase. For inquiries regarding Society memberships write to: USA: Dr. Wilma 1. Quantrille UK: Mr. E. Alan Rose 310 Di vision Avenue 26 Roe Cross Green Hasbrouck Heights Mottram, Hyde New Jersey 07604 Cheshire SK14 6LP For inquiries regarding institutional subscriptions, orders, and to submit books for review write to: USA: Dr. S T Kimbrough, Jr. UK: Mr. E. Alan Rose 128 Bridge Avenue 26 Roe Cross Green Bay Head Mottram, Hyde New Jersey 08742 Cheshire SK14 6LP Manuscripts will not be accepted for publication, as Proceedings is a forum for papers presented at the Society's annual meetings. S T Kimbrough, Jr., Editor Director ofPublications, The Charles Wesley Society Charles Wesley's Bristol Hymns and Poems S T Kimbrough, Jr. The title of this article, "Charles Wesley's Bristol Hymns and Poems," is intended to refer to the hymns and poems he published and those he wrote that remained unpublished during the years he lived in Bristol. It is a foreboding title because of the extensive amount of material published between 1749, the year he acquired a house in Bristol, and 1771, the year he moved to London. The fact that these hymns and poems were published during the period he lived in Bristol does not mean necessarily that they were written at this time. For example, Hymns for the Watchnight, published in 1750, contains eleven hymns, ten of which first appeared in Hymns and Sacred Poems 1749 (vol. 2) and one of which was published in Hymns and Sacred Poems 1742. Also Hymns for Children, published by Farley of Bristol in 1763, printed once again the first half of Wesley's 1746 Hymns for Children, which itself had been taken in large mea­ sure from the section "Hymns for Children" in Hymns and Sacred Poems 1742. Felix Farley of Bristol was Wesley's primary Bristol printer until the former's death in 1753. Thereafter Elizabeth Farley, the printer's widow, and their son Samuel took over the printing responsibilities for the works of Charles Wesley entrusted to them. In 1760 William Pine became Charles's primary Bristol printer. From 1760 to 1779 Pine published fifteen of his works, including three editions of Hymns for Those that seek, and those that have Redemption in the Blood of Jesus Christ (henceforth, Redemption Hymns), first printed in 1747. Pine published the first edition of Hymns for the Use of Families (1767) and the first and only edition of Hymns on the Trinity (1767). It is important to note, however, that Charles Wesley's works were not limited to Bristol printers during his Bristol years.